If it aint broke, don't fix it......

[Vaxalon]

Way too cheap. Yeah, ought to be an artifact.

 

[Will]

Retributive like LGodamus suggested, that sounds cool. Conditional magic item/spell holding, cool.

But the original version, yeah. Scaling by the power of the opponent is just, well.... so an epic level Hecatoncheres (sp) hits you 50 times, and takes half of all that damage? Er, no.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

I still think it's properly busted.

But, I did come up with a couple of ways to balance it:

1) Cost the effect as a spell and pay for a continuous version. I think it's in line with a 9th level exalted cleric spell, with a duration in rounds. So a continuous version would be (9th level * 17th caster level * 2000 * 4 (in rounds)) - so 1.224 Million GP, which feels about right to me.

2) Make it a paladin only item. You have to gruesomely murder 1 small child per hit point reflected...

 

[Piratecat]

Actually, Al, in some ways it's analogous to fire shield. You may want to look at that spell when costing such an item. Also look at the 4th lvl XPH psionic power empathic feedback, which returns up to 5 hp dmg to the attacker for one minute per lvl (add two points of max dmg for each increase in spell lvl, so a spell that returned up to 11 points per hit would be 7th lvl.)

And yes, it's way underpriced as written (with no cap on returned damage). I'd buy it in a heartbeat for that price.

 

[ruleslawyer]

Actually, Al, in some ways it's analogous to fire shield. You may want to look at that spell when costing such an item. Also look at the 4th lvl XPH psionic power empathic feedback...

Closer to empathic feedback than 3e fire shield, actually. From the enemy's POV, there's a big difference between dealing full damage on an attack but suffering some minor fire damage (which can be easily avoided by a resist elements spell), and doing only half damage on all your attacks against the protected individual in addition to taking the same damage yourself.

You take full damage, your enemy takes half.

Not so. The amulet description says "when the wearer takes damage from a melee attack made with a natural or hand-held weapon, the damage is divided equally between the attacker and the target.

Yup. Broken, best as an artifact or super-short duration, high-level spell effect, as Inconsequenti-AL suggested.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Actually, Al, in some ways it's analogous to fire shield. You may want to look at that spell when costing such an item. Also look at the 4th lvl XPH psionic power empathic feedback, which returns up to 5 hp dmg to the attacker for one minute per lvl (add to points of max dmg for each increase in spell lvl, so a spell that returned up to 11 points per hit would be 7th lvl.)

And yes, it's way underpriced as written (with no cap on returned damage). I'd buy it in a heartbeat for that price.

I was thinking 9th level from the uncapped nature and no way to avoid the returned damage made it nastier - no SR, save, resistance or even DR? I think it's a bit like stoneskin as well - stronger for a cleric than a wizard. Possibly erring on the cautious side as it'd be a new spell.

A cap and/or some way of resisting the returned damage would make it more sensible. Emphatic feedback sounds like a good model for it.

Yay for the XPH - pretty much inspired me to buy the old Dark Sun setting - just to have a 'psionics heavy' setting for it.

 

[Darmanicus]

Much obliged everyone.

I suppose it's back to the drawing board then!

Oh yeah Al, just noticed Russ up to his ol' tricks again..........asking everyone to help kick our butts on Monday!

Looks like we'll have to start a counter thread!

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Much obliged everyone.

I suppose it's back to the drawing board then!

Oh yeah Al, just noticed Russ up to his ol' tricks again..........asking everyone to help kick our butts on Monday!

Looks like we'll have to start a counter thread!

Nah, I wouldn't completly kill it - just have a think about toning it down? - I reckon Piratecat had a good starting point - Emphatic Feedback from the Psionics book - think you've got my copy at the moment?

I saw that as well and I'd love to start a thread, but think 'how do we fight a temple full of clerics?' might be too vague a question?

I think we should co-ordinate some general team tactics instead - party has changed a fair bit in the last 2 sessions, after all?